This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

Scroll down to continue the conversation with Markand and Christian on Facebook via the comments below. Let us know what resonates for you.

“Just by absorbing sound, we can be moved, we can transcend…”

“Every human being is different… we have different experiences, different environment, but the essence is that there’s a real sameness about human beings…”

“The equilibrium of sound is silence… any sound must return to silence…”

“To absorb yourself into the sound, you have to let go of your place in the world, let go of your individuality… You must have a fundamental trust in yourself.”

Clips in this episode

Clips in this episode are excerpted from performances by the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Markand Thakar. Click either title below to view a video of the full performance.

You may also enjoy…

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2015/02/16/conductor-markand-thakar-on-achieving-transcendent-musical-performances-pt-1-creative-strings-podcast-ep-6/feed/7Rocking Electric Violin Solo (Video and Commentary)http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/24/rocking-electric-violin-solo-video-and-commentary/
http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/24/rocking-electric-violin-solo-video-and-commentary/#commentsSat, 24 Jan 2015 07:46:58 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10949Rocking Electric Violin Solo: some tips and analysis for students who would like to peek behind the curtain and get tips on how to approach improvisation. Don't be fooled by the suits.
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1) Sound

Rock ‘n roll sounds better with distortion. Trying different types of distortion, amounts of gain, and the best eq for each room requires effort, but nothing conveys rock like overdrive. Add delay, reverb, and wah, and you’re good to go. (See the Electric Violin Training Kit for an overview of amplified strings gear and how to use it.)

2) Harmony: How to create drama over a one-chord vamp

The harmonic structure given behind this solo is simply an E pedal vamp. Not E major, E minor, E7, or any specific chord—just open on E. Since there’s no other chordal instrument getting in my way, I can fill the open space with a new harmonic progression over the E pedal by alternating various modes (including E mixolydian, E diminished, B diminished, A harmonic minor, E minor pentatonic, and E Phrygian). Switching between different modes adds or releases harmonic tension. (For more on modes, access my instructional library at Creative Strings Academy.)

Instead of envisioning modes as scales or key signatures, one can also outline triads and seventh chords from any scale. Alternating between two arpeggios could be called a “chord pair”. I recommend starting out with chord pairs by alternating the tonic with some form of dominant chord. In the context of this solo, you could designate E minor 7 as a tonic and follow it with either the dominant/5 chord (B7), or an alternate to the dominant such as 4 (A), 4minor (A minor), flat 7 (D), flat 2 (F), flat 6 (C), 1 diminished (E dim), etc.. This implies a recurring progression between E and any other chord. By holding each chord for longer or shorter durations, one can use harmonic rhythm to manipulate tension and release.

In other words, you can leave the tonic chord to play any other collection of notes, and then come back to the tonic, over and over again. Or you can create a new chord progression that stays away from the tonic for a while and moves around a bunch of other chords before resolving. The point is to be aware of your harmonic intention, familiarize yourself with conventional choices, and try different combinations. (For more on chord pairs and harmonic tension, try my Harmony Fundamentals Series)

3) Rhythm: Keep it simple. Stay in the pocket.

When it comes to music with a strong groove, I try to play lines that fall clearly in the rhythmic grid. This creates cohesion. I suggest you record yourself improvising and keep score based on how often your lines get lazy, ambiguous, or rubato-sounding. If your rhythm is unclear, chances are you’re trying to play too much. As Victor Wooten writes in his book, The Music Lesson, “never lose the groove in order to find a note”.

4) Melodic shapes and phrases: Repetition vs. Randomness

I like to think about the general shape of a melody. It doesn’t have to be exact. Once I have a general shape in mind, I can play around with repeating, transposing, compressing, expanding, or inverting it. Another strategy I use is avoiding repetition to approximate randomness. I recommend structuring your improvisation using repetition and randomness, applying both ideas to shapes, melodies, and phrases.

Other alarm bells that run like a tape loop in my head include: when a phrase starts, how long a phrase lasts, how many notes are contained in a phrase, and how a phrase ends. Phrase endings are important. I like to make the endings of phrases clear and concise. Sometimes I interrupt phrases, forcing myself to play shorter ideas. Other times I keep a phrase going without spaces, relying on groove or attitude to push the music forward and sustain energy. (Apply these concepts with my Free Improvisation Master Series)

5) Attitude

In the end, it’s all about attitude. Sometimes I like to hold onto a feeling, focus on it, and try to channel it in my playing. For example, this photo reflects the feeling I had on stage. Improvisation provided an outlet to express it in that moment.

Learn more about online training, summer conference, and school outreach programs at christianhowes.com/educationPlease like and share, and comment below for further discussion
Contact me at chris@christianhowes.com

28-year-old rising star jazz violinist/mandolinist, Jason Anick is a regular instructor at the annual Creative Strings summer conference and the Berklee College of Music. His calendar is full of touring and recording dates, and he’s a masterful musician, equally at home in a broad range of styles. Scroll down to listen and learn:

– How Jason combined the best of classical and jazz practice routines to develop bulletproof musicianship

– His routines and regimens — scales, transcriptions, improvising, working with backing tracks, self-recordings, and more

– His successful mindset for doing business as an artist and maintaining a confident and striving optimism in the music industry

This episode is brought to you by the Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

While you listen, scroll down to continue the conversation with Jason and Christian via the Facebook comments below; Feel free to share any of the quotes below or let us know what resonates for you.

“Don’t be too critical of your creative side; If you are in the moment and things are coming out, that’s great.”

“Do your best, have a great attitude, make the connections, meet as many people as you can, be the person that everyone wants to play with… that is business sensibility.”

“Music is so personal… at the end of the day, it’s about what emotions you are feeling, what you are portraying, and knowing that what you have to say is something only you can say that’s unique to you. That’s something that no one can take away.”

Aspiring improvising string player? Study/hang with Jason (and Christian) this and every summer at the Creative Strings Workshop

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/16/jazz-violinist-jason-anick-reveals-practice-routines-and-more-creative-strings-podcast-ep-5/feed/7Improvised Bach: A Case Study In Classical Improvisation (Video)http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/05/improvised-bach-a-case-study-in-classical-improvisation-video/
http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/05/improvised-bach-a-case-study-in-classical-improvisation-video/#commentsMon, 05 Jan 2015 18:18:41 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10879 Bach is already perfect, but having fun with it is hard to resist. As more classical musicians practice the way jazz musicians do, I predict we'll hear all kinds of new creative music.
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Bach is already perfect, but having fun with it is hard to resist (see video below). Although Bach’s Fugue for unaccompanied violin could be treated with a walking bass line, I tried a half time feel bass line to allow space for fugue-like countermelodies in the inner voices. The difference between foreground and background becomes blurred this way, rather than assigning the bass, comping, and melody their typical places in a swing-type rendition.

I hope classical musicians can use case studies like this to inspire them to improvise with classical material in other ways. After you check out the video below, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Before I got heavily into jazz, I improvised using the only vocabulary I knew. Jazz has a history of drawing from classical composers, but I predict an explosion of new music once improvisation is taught to classical musicians from an early age.

In this performance, I hear a bit of “everything” (jazz and classical vocabulary), and “nothing” (stylistically neutral material). That’s partly why I decided to share it.

At the risk of being redundant, I think the single best way for musicians to improve is by recording and listening back. That’s one reason the loop pedal is more than a gimmick. A great practice tool, looping provides the ability to immediately review my timing, rhythm, ensemble, ideas, phrasing, intonation, and more.

Intonation always needs work, and for this I plead “guilty” as charged. As Yo-Yo Ma once told me in a master class (paraphrasing), “Learning to play in tune is a lifetime project for every string player.” Yo Yo Ma is totally the man.

But the loop pedal reveals a flaw in my playing that’s harder to pin down than intonation, something most classical musicians rarely spend time honing, and in this performance it’s so blatant, I almost didn’t post the video. Hint: anytime you’re working with a longer form, this will be harder to perfect, and it becomes apparent at one moment each time the form loops around. Leave a comment and let me know if you figured out what I’m referring to, and if it bothers you.

There’s still time to get in on the Creative Strings Academy new year’s giveaway!
Join us now and get free access to all of my premium trainings.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below and please share this if you enjoyed it.

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2015/01/05/improvised-bach-a-case-study-in-classical-improvisation-video/feed/16The Secret Ingredient of Successful Music Careershttp://christianhowes.com/2014/12/27/secret_ingredient_of_successful_music_careers/
http://christianhowes.com/2014/12/27/secret_ingredient_of_successful_music_careers/#commentsSun, 28 Dec 2014 00:36:36 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10808Most of us need help to overcome limiting beliefs, develop new habits, figure out what we don't know that we don't know, and stop holding ourselves back. We need someone or something to hold us accountable. Otherwise we fall into the same old patterns, doing things halfway, falling short of our potential.
If you have people or structures in place to motivate and hold you accountable for reaching your goals, you're far more likely to succeed. ]]>

Are you resolved to go “all out” in 2015?

Most of us don’t really believe in our resolutions because, let’s face it, we made them before and didn’t follow through.

Every year around this time we face a choice to either:

Avoid committing

Commit half-way

Fully commit (knowing that the results may not be different this time around)

Where do you stand?

Are you committed to do something different this year, and do you believe that it’s “up to you”?

If you answered “YES”, that’s awesome, but your answer to the next question is what matters most to me:

What support do you have in place?

Most of us need some kind of support to help us overcome limiting beliefs, develop new habits, figure out what we don’t know that we don’t know, and stop holding ourselves back. We need someone or something to hold us accountable. Otherwise we fall into the same old patterns, doing things halfway, falling short of our potential.

If you have people or structures in place to motivate you, provide constructive feedback, and hold you accountable for reaching your goals, you’re far more likely to succeed.

For example, you may want to identify a training program or a coach. I personally benefit from online training or personal coaching in fitness, business, music, relationships, even parenting, and these make a huge difference for me. Musicians have all had private teachers at some point. Doesn’t it make sense for you to have a private teacher for other things you want to be good at, like making money?

I think so.

That’s why I’ve decided to expand my coaching programs in 2015 to go beyond teaching music and extend into helping musicians make a living. (Musicians worldwide already use my online training in improvisation, contemporary styles, music theory, and more at Creative Strings Academy)

Beginning this month I am offering a coaching/training program for working musicians specifically designed to help them improve their careers and reach their business goals. I intend to help musicians make more money, get more of the gigs they enjoy, and increase their time for creative development and enjoying life.

The first course will begin February 1, but the preparation will happen this month, and I’m limiting the number of participants. If you email me NOW, you can schedule a free strategy session. I’ll help you evaluate what’s working and what’s not working, and I guarantee you’ll get a ton of value from the feedback I provide. Simply email me at chris@christianhowes.com (this will expire very soon). Even if you’re not interested in the coaching program, I encourage you to sign up for this free strategy session, because you’ll get a ton out of it (and I may never offer it again!).

Who this is not for:

If you’re content with where you’re at, your business skills are ridiculous and your career is on fire, disregard this article (and skip to the comments below to share some of your best tips!).

If you think the world owes you something or you tell a story about how your circumstances have prevented you from succeeding. We all have circumstances, and we all have struggles, but I believe that our success starts with “responsibility”, and the belief in our ability to overcome them. (Do you agree? Leave a comment below either way and tell me what you think.)

Do I have magic? No. There’s no magic. I’m reminded of the movie, “Kung Fu Panda”, in which Po finally learns that there is no “secret ingredient”.

But I do have a lot of experience, and a lot of knowledge about the music business. I’ve helped a lot of people, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of success in the music industry doing a wide variety of things.

The main things I will provide are:

Objective feedback from a qualified source

Accountability

Structure

Community support

Concrete training with no BS

My final point to musicians, and this speaks to a classic mistake that 95% of people who practice almost any craft make, is this:

Being good at your craft is not the same thing at being good at running a business. The majority of small businesses FAIL because people make the classic mistake of thinking that their craft, and the business of selling their craft, are one and the same. Running a business is a craft, and until you “practice” business, just like music, your career will always feel like something that drives you, instead of the other way around.

Questions? If you have a quick question, or you’re confused, email me at chris@christianhowes.com, or leave a comment below.

So if you’re sick of putting things off and you’re ready to take it to the next level, email me now at chris@christianhowes.com with the word “Coaching” in the subject line. I will followup immediately with you to set up the free strategy session.
(And yes, I absolutely Guarantee that if you put in the work with me, I’ll help you reach your goals.)
Either way, feel free to leave a comment below with whatever is on your mind.

Here’s to creating an amazing 2015!
-Chris

From a recent Creative Strings Academy subscriber:

I studied at the Menuhin Academy in Switzerland.
I have a stable job in an orchestra but I wanted to challenge myself… From watching your video on management, I got myself two concerts. I congratulate you..it is a wonderful project…

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2014/12/27/secret_ingredient_of_successful_music_careers/feed/3Happy Holidays! (Video)- Jazz Violin “O Christmas Tree”http://christianhowes.com/2014/12/24/happy-holidays-video-jazz-violin-o-christmas-tree/
http://christianhowes.com/2014/12/24/happy-holidays-video-jazz-violin-o-christmas-tree/#commentsWed, 24 Dec 2014 06:13:04 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10786In the spirit of jazz, (and in the spirit of laughing at myself a bit), I hope you'll accept this unvarnished offering in the spirit of the season.]]>

In answer to your requests for a holiday video, Jazz Violin “O Christmas Tree” includes a grandpa sweater, pitchy scatting, musical multitasking, and other oddities. Scroll down for more!

There’s a “twist” that happens in the first 30 seconds of this video. But can you find the “twist on the twist” that happens later?

My daughter Camille got it. (She was totally unimpressed)

Well, I did really want a reason to wear that grandpa sweater…

Please leave a comment below and share what you’re up to over the holiday, or, as my brother Lewis Howes would say, share what you’re most grateful for.

For example, I am grateful to be home with my family!

Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, I wish you the awesomest of holidays. May you be inspired to create an even better year ahead.

Music clips in this episode are from the album “Klazyc” by the Klazyc trio featuring Christian Howes, Federico Lechner and Pablo Martin

“Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte” – Ravel

“Vergnügte Ruh, Beliebte Seelenlust” – Bach

“Partita In E” – Bach

“Ma Mére l’Oye” – Ravel

Bowed string player looking for tools to unleash your creativity? Visit our friends at the Electric Violin Shop. -your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear & accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

This new electric violin cover of “The Chicken”, popularized by Jaco Pastorius, was recorded live with loops played in real time.

Happy Thanksgiving! (I couldn’t resist!)

The bass line and strumming loops were played live (two loops total), and edited later for your listening convenience.

(Let me know via the comments below if you prefer to hear/see the entire loop intros or you like them shortened this way. You can find other examples of electric violin live looping videos here, or Subscribe to my Youtube channel to be notified when new videos are posted monthly.)

You might notice in the beginning when the loops are shown that I use a “two finger” electric-bass style technique to play the bass line. Be careful when employing this technique because of the angle of the wrist and potential injury.

Improvisation: I anticipate some questions about this and some pushback as well, and that’s ok :) As you’ve probably heard me say before, creating stuff takes being willing to be boldly yourself. Sometimes it comes out smooth, sometimes rough. I’d rather “be me” and have 5% of listeners “get it”, than worry about trying to sound like someone else. If this performance is too “outside” for you, that’s cool. If your question is, “How/why do you use all those really weird notes?”, my answer is something along these lines:

My solo in this performance was intended to be more “risky”. Sometimes I improvise from a “safe” place; sometimes I go out on a limb. When I do take risks where note choice/harmony is concerned, I try to mitigate those risks by keeping something else more or less “stable”. In this case, I focused on generating stability within rhythm, groove, melodic shapes, and phrasing, for example. By generating recurring or consistent rhythmic patterns (continuous eighth note, for example), and melodic motifs (melodic shapes), this can create stability/constancy/cohesion that compensates for the instability of more dissonant note choices. For that matter, simply staying in the groove (and playing something like you mean it) can help with a lot with this. At least, that’s how I think of it.

Everyone wants to know about the jazz violinist’s gear, so here goes:

While I always welcome questions (in the comments below) I recommend the Electric Violin Shop to any bowed string players seeking help with amplification and gear. They are amazingly helpful and will answer your questions by phone. Simply get their phone number here and call them to ask any question related to electric string playing: www.electricviolinshop.com/creativestrings

My gear in this video:

Yamaha Silent Electric Violin (250 model) – www.yamahastrings.com
Helicore strings by D’Addario – www.daddarioorch.com
The Boss ME-70 multi-effects pedal (Regarding settings: I set to bypass. I used the wah-wah pedal and the 8vb setting for the intro and otherwise I just have a simple clean sound, with a bit of reverb)
Same with the loop pedal (two loops total- less is more!)

Fishman Loudbox Amplifier

Feel free to ask any questions or leave a comment below and feel free to share with anyone wacky enough to be into this kind of thing!

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2014/11/26/like-turkey-try-the-chicken-electric-violin-cover-video/feed/0New Video! “Yesterday” by Lennon/McCartney – (Electric Violin/Loop Cover)http://christianhowes.com/2014/10/27/yesterday-by-lennonmccartney-electric-violinloop-cover/
http://christianhowes.com/2014/10/27/yesterday-by-lennonmccartney-electric-violinloop-cover/#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 17:07:01 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10618 I used a volume pedal to create an organ-like effect while setting up the first loop of “Yesterday” by John Lennon/Paul McCartney. For the second loop in the song, I used an octave-below effect to create a bass line on the Yamaha silent electric violin. After playing a loose version of the melody, I improvised a solo […]]]>

I used a volume pedal to create an organ-like effect while setting up the first loop of “Yesterday” by John Lennon/Paul McCartney. For the second loop in the song, I used an octave-below effect to create a bass line on the Yamaha silent electric violin. After playing a loose version of the melody, I improvised a solo over the form of the song. Finally, I created a new electric violin loop as a vamp to close the song, using also the “octave up” feature and a distortion pedal.

Now, give me YOUR feedback! Feel free to leave a comment below :)

If you’re a string player and you want to “stretch” yourself, join the Creative Strings Academy (take a short tour and sign up for a free month here)

]]>http://christianhowes.com/2014/10/27/yesterday-by-lennonmccartney-electric-violinloop-cover/feed/13Register Now for Summer Conference!- 13th Annual Creative Strings Workshophttp://christianhowes.com/2014/10/22/13th-annual-creative-strings-workshop-festival/
http://christianhowes.com/2014/10/22/13th-annual-creative-strings-workshop-festival/#commentsWed, 22 Oct 2014 18:49:54 +0000http://christianhowes.com/?p=10613Save $100 when you register by February 1st. Click here to watch the new mini-documentary and join creative string players from around the world for networking, performing, intensive growth, and amazing music in Columbus, OH on June 28-July 4, 2015.]]>

Save $100 when you register by February 1st. Click here to watch the new mini-documentary and join creative string players from around the world for networking, performing, intensive growth, and amazing music in Columbus, OH on June 28-July 4, 2015.